by James H. Pence

What is it that makes you say, “Wow!”

You know what I mean. There are times in all of our lives when we see something so amazing, so incredible, so jaw-dropping that, if we can say anything, it’s usually just one word. Wow!

Fireworks displays do it for me.

And star-filled skies.

The birth of my children.

My first visit to the Rocky Mountains.

I could go on, but you get the point.

We usually use the word “awestruck” to describe such an experience. What we’re seeing is so beautiful, so majestic, so awe-inspiring that we’re practically left speechless.

One type of “awestruck” experience that I miss is seeing fall colors. I live in Texas, and around here the average fall color tends to be brown. We occasionally will get a smattering of yellow and (rarely) some red.

Mostly it’s brown.

I grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and every Thanksgiving as we drove to my grandparents’ house, I enjoyed looking out of the car windows and taking in the beautiful, majestic fall colors. A few years back, my wife and I took a vacation up to Virginia and Washington D.C. in October. It was all I could do to keep the car on the road, because I was spending most of my time trying to gaze at the beautiful colors as we drove.

I miss seeing that beauty and majesty every year. Do you know why?

Seeing the beauty of autumn trees (like all my other awestruck experiences) is a small foreshadowing of the awe we will experience when we see Jesus Christ in his glory. Paul the Apostle spoke of this when he wrote to the Thessalonian Christians about “…the day he [Jesus] comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:10b).

Paul says that when Jesus comes back, we will marvel at him. In other words, we’ll have a jaw-dropping, awestruck experience like no other. Words will fail us as we behold his beauty, majesty, and glory.

And I imagine a few of us will say, “Wow.”

If you live where you can see the beauty of fall colors, enjoy the experience and let it remind you of how wonderful it will be when Christ comes.

If you live somewhere where the fall colors are brown, I’ve included one picture to help you reflect on the beauty and majesty of our God and His creation.